Printer&#39;s-roller composition.



No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PRINTERS-ROLLER COMPOSITION.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

Application filed August 2, 1918. Serial No. 248,077.

(DEDICATED TO THE PUBLIC.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. BAssEoHns, a citizen of the United Statesand an employee of the Bureau of Standards, United States Department ofCommerce, lately an employee of the Government Printing Oflice, :1 legalresident of the State of New York, residingin the city of lVashington,1n the District of Columbia (whose post-ofiice address is 2305 18th St,N. have invented a new and useful Printers-Boller Composition, and havemade applicatlon by petition of even date herewith under the act ofMarch 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat, (325), praying that Letters Patenttherefor may be ranted to me.

The invention herein described and claimed maybe used by the Governmentof the United States or by any of its oflicers or employees in theprosecution of work for the United States, or by any person in theUnited'States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

The following is a specification of my invention:

The objectof my invention is the production of a recasting printersroller containing molasses, which partly or wholly displaces 'theexpensive glycerin usually employed in the manufacture of such rollers.

My invention is based upon the fact, discovered by me, that rollers madewith canesugar molasses do not remelt (and therefore cannot be recast)because of the presence of monosaccharids in such molasses.

My composition consists of a mixture of glue. water, beet molasses (or asyrup containing only small amounts of monosaccharids) without or withglycerin, resins, varnishes and oils or solutions thereof.

One of the earliest printers roller compositions consisted of a mixtureof glue and molasses. The directions for making such rollers alwaysemphasized the necessity of using the best molasses available. Thismeant the use of a cane-sugar molasses or usually cane-sugar refinerssyrup. The beet-sugar industry had not then been developed sufiicientlyto be of any practical importance. Beet molasses was thereforecomparatively unknown, and if known its disagreeable taste andappearance compared with refiners syrup would have aroused prejudiceagainst its use. Even at present refiners (cane-sugar) syrup isexclusively used for roller. making and thesole use of beet-sugarmolasses in the United States is for cattle feed. In Europe beet-sugarmolasses is also used as a source for the manufacture of grain alcohol.

The glue-molasses roller was fairly satisfactory, except for a tendencyof the roller to become somewhat dry after prolonged use and also thatthe roller would not remelt and recast after the expiration of a periodof a month to three months depending on the manner and condition of itsuse.

Later glycerin was incorporated into the roller composition and so madeit more re silient and capable of retaining moisture.

The printers roller at this time, therefore, consisted essentially of amixture of glue, cane-sugar molasses and glycerin. Its only ob ectionnow'was, that it was non recastable. This objection became veryimportant when the printer ceased to make his own rollers and bought orrented them from a roller making concern. It was very essential from theroller makers point of view that the roller discarded or returned by theprinter should be recastable. This finally led to the elimination ofmolasses from the roller composition (not made by the printer himself)and its conse uent increase in price. My invention ma es possible thereturn to the cheaper molasses roller which is thus made adequate andsuitable for present-day trade methods. It also makes practicable theconservation of the much needed glycerin.

The basis of my invention as stated above is the use of anoncrystallizable sugar syrup free from or containing only small amountsof the monosaccharids or reducing sugars. Cane sugar molasses, becauseof the nature of the sugar-cane juice, contains approximately 35%monosaccharids. I am aware of methods by which it is ossible to removethe monosaccharids fromt ecane-sugar molasses, but they are notpracticable for the present purpose and would render the final producttoo expensive.

Beet-sugar molasses, because of the nature of the beet juice and of theprocess of beet sugar manufacture, is practically free frommonosaccharids. The monosaccharid content of beet-sugar molasses variesfrom.

traces to 2%. The maximum figure is seldom reached. Beet-sugar molassesis therefore the ideal material for the purpose of the presentinvention.

Beet-sugar molasses like cane-sugar molasses, contains a variableamount, usually 10-15%, of salts of organic acids, the exact nature ofwhich is not definitely known. These salts have a slightl alkalinereaction. Beet-molasses also contalns betain, a compound of slightlyalkaline reaction. In preparing beet molasses for use as an ingredlentof roller composition, I prefer to decrease its alkalinity due to theabove causes, by modifying the above compounds by the addition of amineral acid. The procedure for modifying the beetmolasses is asfollows: The molasses is diluted with about 50% of its weight of water.

One to two per cent. (on the weight of undiluted molasses) of commercialconcentrated sulfuric acid is poured very slowly into about four timesits weight of cold water, contained in an eartherware or other vesselnot attacked by the acid, thoroughly stirred and allowed to cool. Theperfectly cold diluted acid is added to. the cold d1- luted beetmolasses and thoroughly stirred, with a wooden paddle in a wooden orearthenware vessel, for about 15 to 30 minutes, depending upon thequantity handled.

An aqueous suspension of powdered chalk or limestone is prepared bymixing 1 to 3% (on the weight of the undilutedbeet molasses to betreated) of dry, powdered chalk or limestone with sufiicient water tbmake athin paste. This suspension is added to the beet molasses mixedwith the acid in the acid resistant vessel and the whole thoroughlystirred until homogeneous. I then prefer to allow the mixture to standuncovered over night to permit the total neutralization of the excessacid and the evolution of the carbon dioxid. The beet molasses treatedas above canthen be transferred to a metal kettle and evaporated to itsoriginal concentration, '5. 6., a water content 0t 20%, and isready tobe incorporated with the glue composition.

The procedure for making the roller composition is as follows: Aconvenient amount of glue is placed in a vessel with perforated bottomand immersed in a larger vessel of very cold water for 3 to 5 minutes,de-

pending on the amount of water it is desired to absorb, and then'takenout and allowed to drain. The glue is then placed in a containerprovided with a well fitting cover and allowed to remain over night in acool place. This procedure permits the water to distribute itselfuniformly through the mass of the glue.-

The water soaked glue obtained as indicated above is placed in a waterjacketed kettle provided with stirrer and melted with the lowestpossible heat.

' ers are emp When the glue has been thoroughly liquetied, the. beetmolasses previously prepared and kept at a temperature of about 90 C.

F.) is added, and thoroughly incorporated. The glycerin is then addedandthoroughly incorporated. Finally the varnishes, oils, resins, etc, maybe added. Aftor the mixture has become homogeneous and is judged to beready for casting, the steam pressure in the jacket is raised until thetemperature of 100 C. is reached. The composition is maintained at thistemperature for 15 minutes, being stirred continuously and then allowedto run through a strainer into the casting kettle'from which it isforced by means of compressed air into the molds. V

The worn out rollers are thoroughly freed from ink, cut into smallpieces, remelted, about 15% of new material incorporated and thecomposition is ready for recasting.

The following are two examples of compositions embodying the presentinvention:

1. Glue 30%, prepared beet molasses 35%,

glycerin 20%, water 15%.

water 15%, rosin oil varnish 5%.

These compositions containing beet molasses will remelt after being usedfor an indefinite period of time and under all the ordinary conditionsof use. By varying the proportions of the above mentioned ingredients,rollers can be made adequate for all purposes for which the presentglycerin rollloyed. The beet molasses roller besides the aboveadvantages, is also cheaper than the cane-sugar -molasses roller, muchcheaper than glycerin roller, contains less 'lue than an equally hardglycerin roller, has higher specific heat than glycerin composition,therefore retains its heat longer and thus facilitates the process ofcasting.

Although but two specific embodiments of this invention have been hereingiven, it will be understood that a great number of differprintersrollers, printing surfaces or similar purposes consisting largely ofglue-and beetsugar molasses.

3. A composition of matter for the manufacture of recasting printersrollers comprising in combination glue, beetsugar molasses and glycerin.

4. A composltion of matter for the manufacture of recasting printersrollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and fixedoils.

5. A composition of matter for the manufacture of recasting printersrollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses andvarnishes. 6. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printersrollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and resins.

7. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollerscomprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and solutions ofresins in their suitable solvents.

8. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollerscomprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses, glycerin and fixedoils.

9. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollerscomprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses, glycerin andsolutions of resins.

Signed at Washington, D. 0., this 31st day of July, 1918.

JOSEPH L. BASSECHES.

Witnesses:

